Legal Improvised Defensive Tools

I just wrote about the importance of being armed, even if you know how to defend yourself in a one on one unarmed attack. But the unfortunate truth is that there are all sorts of places these days that limit, or completely restrict your right to protect yourself.

While I will always take my money to a coffee shop that doesn’t make it their business to preach politics while creating a target rich environment, it’s not always that easy of an option. Some people travel for work, or go to school, or actually live in an area that criminalizes armed defense.

This is nothing new, and neither are the solutions. People living under the feudal system in Japan were not allowed to carry weapons to protect themselves, so, other than developing empty-handed defensive arts, they also created improvised defensive tools. Here is an example of one that you can use today.

The manrikigusari is basically a chain with a weight on each end of the chain. Primarily it can be used as a blunt force weapon, but it can also be used to choke, or to bind your attacker. That being said, if you go on amazon and buy yourself a manriki and attempt to carry it through airport security it probably won’t go well for you.

But the basic principal can be applied using everyday items, even items that are applicable to air travel and unrestricted. A manriki can be improvised using approximately 12 to 18 inches of dog chain (dog chain is different from other chains because it allows more movement), a carabiner, and a padlock. Despite the combination of these items being able to be used as a weapon, they are also useful for securing your personal items and therefore not a noticeable weapon and not a restricted item.

Holding it by the side with the carabiner, you can swing the chain, and, depending on the size of the lock, you use it can produce a tremendous amount of force.